COFAR blog

Our fight to preserve the Wrentham and Hogan Intermediate Care centers has now shifted to the state Senate, where two budget amendments to save the centers have been filed in anticipation of next week’s budget debate in the upper chamber.

We are urging the senators to co-sponsor budget amendments 411 and 555, which would affirm a right to residential placements at Wrentham and Hogan.

The two facilities, which are in danger of closure, offer a high level of federally regulated care and provide more than 1,000 jobs for direct care workers, clinicians, medical personnel, and others, according to the latest data available from the Department of Developmental Services (DDS).

The amendments, which have been filed by Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr and Senator Rebecca Rausch, would affirm a right to care at Wrentham and Hogan for persons found to be eligible for ICF-level care, and would require DDS to report on its efforts to offer these settings as a choice for residential care.

These amendments are not only consistent with federal law, but also align with the Commonwealth’s policy of encouraging “self-direction” —  ensuring that individuals and families have a meaningful role in planning and choosing services.

Nevertheless, DDS has routinely denied requests for placements in the facilities, implying that clients of the Department do not have a right to such placements. As a result, the census in both facilities has continued to drop, and we believe the centers are on a path to closure due to attrition.

Preserving the Wrentham and Hogan Centers is also part of a broader effort to protect essential state-operated services, including the Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital. Each of these facilities faces an increasing risk of closure due to ongoing restrictions on admissions. 

During the budget debate in the House last month, our amendments received the bipartisan support of 20 legislators, with 13 Democratic and 6 Republican co-sponsors. Unfortunately, the language in our amendments was not included in the final consolidated amendment in the House.

We are hoping for a better outcome in the Senate for this critically important effort to preserve these facilities. Please contact your state senator and ask them to co-sponsor budget amendments 411 and 555. You can find your senator here.  Thanks!